Hannibal town hall helps prepare for an earthquake - WGEM.com: Quincy News, Weather, Sports, and Radio

Are you prepared for a big earthquake in the Midwest?

A few more people are after attending a town hall forum in Hannibal Wednesday night.

Local and state emergency management officials were on hand to explain why a major earthquake along the New Madrid fault would be catastrophic for this area.

The idea behind the event is to get people prepared to live without electricity and other conveniences for what could be a long period of time.

Marion County Emergency Management Director John Hark says, "people want me to say when it's going to happen. I can't say that. We don't use 'if', we use 'when', because we know it will happen."

Hark hopes more people take an interest in earthquakes and become more knowledgeable to better protect themselves and their families.